The 20th edition of the Titans of Tech Awards, held weekend, was a spectacular celebration of innovation and excellence in Nigeria’s ICT industry. The event, marked by glamour and dazzle, opened with an enchanting performance by the national dance troupe, setting the stage for a memorable and exciting evening. The highlight of the evening was the cutting of the anniversary cake and the unveiling of the highly anticipated book, 50 Most Influential ICT Innovators in Nigeria. This book not only celebrates the trailblazers of the past but also acknowledges the ongoing contributions of industry leaders who continue to shape the…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, operating under the trade name 9Mobile, has been acquired by LH Telecommunication Limited. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the company, the acquisition of majority shares in the Nigerian telecom company was approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as required by law. The investment, which was approved by African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM), the senior lender to 9Mobile in May 2023 has resulted in a change in control of 9Mobile in favour of the new investor by the issuance of new shares amounting to…
Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments by Nigerian bank account owners reached 62.7 million in July 2024, an increase from 61.87 million in May 2024, according to data from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS). This indicates that 854,267 account holders registered for BVN in the past two months. As of December 2023, the total number of registered BVNs stood at 60 million, marking a growth of 2.7 million so far this year. Despite this increase, the number of active bank accounts in Nigeria was reported at 219.6 million in March 2024, highlighting that a significant portion of account holders still…
Ranks among top African nations for digital transformation A recent report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has ranked Nigeria at 71 per cent in the G5 Readiness Index, highlighting the country’s strong comparative legal, policy, and governance frameworks for digital transformation. Nigeria’s ranking places it among the top seven African countries in readiness for deploying and adopting mass-market 5G networks, with leading global examples being Germany, Finland, and Singapore. The report, titled “Collaborative Regulation: Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation,” was a joint effort by the ITU, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).…
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, has announced the removal of 63,000 accounts linked to ‘Yahoo Boys,’ a term commonly associated with the Nigerian cybercrime scene. These accounts, deleted over recent weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts, primarily targeting users in the United States. In a statement, Meta disclosed that although most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful and mainly targeted adults, there were some instances of targeting minors. The company highlighted the borderless nature of financial sextortion, noting the involvement of ‘Yahoo Boys,’ loosely organized cybercriminals primarily operating from Nigeria, who…
Glo 1, the international submarine cable wholly owned and operated by digital and telecom services company, Globacom, has marked eight years of uninterrupted connectivity, from 2016 to date. Throughout this period, it has maintained an excellent record in the provision of internet access for both customers in Nigeria and across Africa. It lived up to expectations in March, this year during the widespread internet disruptions as a result of cuts to other submarine cables in Nigeria and West Africa. Glo 1 was functioning all through, providing normal operations to financial institutions, internet service providers, and data consumers. The resilience of…
A recent report by global data and business intelligence platform StatiSense has revealed that Nigerian mobile users made over 163 million visits to porn and betting websites in June 2024. The platform’s latest data, which highlights the top ten websites visited by Nigerians on mobile devices last month, shows a significant portion of this traffic is directed towards adult content and gambling sites. According to a post shared by StatiSense on its official X page, the top visited websites included a mix of search engines, social media apps, and betting platforms. Notably, Xvideos and Xnxx, two adult sites, collectively received…
Stanbic IBTC Bank, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, partnered with the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission to host its fifth edition of Lagos International Water and Sanitation Conference (LIWAC) 2024, which held on Tuesday, 25 and Wednesday 26 June 2024 at Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos. The summit focused on innovative funding solutions for water and sanitation infrastructure in Africa’s largest metropolis. This strategic collaboration brought together financial experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders under the theme ‘Financing Water and Sanitation for a Greater Lagos.’ The conference aimed to address the $4.3 billion investment gap identified by the African…
By Elvis Eromosele UNIBEN Students are at home in the middle of the academic session. The institution was shut down following a peaceful protest by the students. No, they were not asking for an arm, a leg or a free pass in core courses. The demand was for electricity and water, two basic ingredients for a comfortable stay in school, or anywhere for that matter. The absence of electricity made the pumping of water impossible. BEDC Electricity cut off power to the school for failure to pay its electric bill of N280 million monthly. This followed a 300 per cent increase…
Shared Value Africa (SVA), in collaboration with Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre and ZER Consulting Africa, proudly hosted the CEO Connect Forum Nigeria and the official launch of Shared Value Nigeria. The event was convened to foster dialogue among CEOs and business leaders on integrating the Creating Shared Value (CSV) approach to sustainability as a fundamental business strategy in Nigeria and beyond. The forum was held in person at The Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, providing a unique opportunity for high-level business executives to engage and discuss leveraging societal challenges as avenues for business innovation…